§ The House having resolved itself into a committee of supply,
556The Chancellor of the Exchequerobserved, that he proposed at so late an hour of the night, to omit several parts of the new plan of increased duties, till there should be a fuller attendance of members and an ampler opportunity of discussion. Amongst these were the stamps on promissory notes, bills of exchange, law proceedings, and bankers' licences. He had no disposition to take the House by surprise, or to press to an advanced stage any measure which had not already received the apparent sanction and approbation of the House.
§ Sir Charles Monckinquired whether the right hon. gentleman intended to bring on that part of the schedule which related to the new tax on advertisements.
The Chancellor of the Exchequerstated, that he had had conferences with several persons who appeared to represent the sense of those individuals who were more immediately interested in the measure, and an arrangement had been agreed on which was supposed to meet the views of both parties. The general result of this arrangement was, that the progressive duty on advertisements should be abandoned, and that in lieu of it there should be imposed a common duty of an additional sixpence, making the whole duty 3s. 6d.; and also an additional duty of one halfpenny upon the paper itself.
§ Sir Charles Monckconceived that a new question arose out of this plan for transposing the new duties on advertisements and newspapers. It was generally considered that the universal circulation of knowledge produced by the daily journals and other periodical publications, was one of the most extensive and substantial advantages resulting from the liberty of the press. The House, therefore, ought to determine whether it might not be a duty they owed to the public, whose interests were most concerned, to step in between Government and the editors of newspapers, who, he could easily apprehend, might coincide in an arrangement convenient to both, but by no means equally beneficial to the public. He confessed he was very averse to seeing the necessities of the state supplied by means which seemed to tend to the suppression of general information. The right hon. gentleman, he hoped, would at least have no objection to postpone the resolution for the present.
§ The other Resolutions were then agreed to, and the Report was ordered to be received tomorrow.